Code of Ethics

The Praxis Group™, along with its contractors and consultants, maintains high ethical standards in all of our work. We adhere to the principles established by the Code of Ethics developed by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA). Both associations have set industry standards for ethical practice.

International Association for Public Participation

Embracing the principles set forth by IAP2, Praxis commits to the following ethical standards:

Supporting public participation as a process to make better decisions that incorporate the interests and concerns of all affected stakeholders and meet the needs of the decision-making body;

Enhancing the public’s participation in the decision-making process and assisting decision-makers in being responsive to the public’s concerns and suggestions;

Undertaking and encouraging actions that build trust and credibility for the process among all the participants;

Considering carefully and portraying accurately the public’s role in the decision-making process;

Encouraging the disclosure of all information relevant to the public’s understanding and evaluation of a decision;

Ensuring that stakeholders have fair and equal access to the public participation process and the opportunity to influence decisions;

Avoiding strategies that risk polarizing community interests or that appear to “divide and conquer”;

Advocating for the public participation process – not for interest, party, or project outcome;

Ensuring that all commitments made to the public, including those by the decision-maker, are made in good faith; and

Educating decision-makers and the public about the value and use of public participation.

See IAP2: http://www.iap2.org

International Association for Impact Assessment

Adopting the IAIA’s prescribed Code of Ethics, Praxis pursues the following professional ethical responsibilities:

Compiling or reviewing impact assessments with integrity and honesty,and free from misrepresentation or deliberate bias;

Ensuring our personal beliefs do not interfere with fair representation of the potential impacts of policies, plans, programs, and projects;

Upholding the principle of freedom of access to information and the right of citizens to participate in decisions;

Subscribing to a holistic approach to impact assessment;

Seeking sustainable and equitable outcomes from human actions that affect ecosystem and social functions;

Encouraging a process of impact assessment that averts infringement of the human rights of any section of society;

Disapproving of the use of violence, harassment, intimidation or undue force in connection with any aspect of impact assessment or implementation of an intervention arising from impact assessment;

Conducting impact assessments in the awareness that different groups in society experience benefits and harm in different ways. This also means taking gender and other social differences into account, and being mindful of the concerns of indigenous peoples;

Striving to promote considerations of equity as a fundamental element of impact assessment;

Giving due regard to the rights and interests of future generations;

Striving for excellence by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the professions; and

Ensuring our public interests to the detriment of the public, our clients or employing institutions.